Boats

Most production boats are conceived with a design brief from a builder who has a targeted market in mind. Not so the Landing School 30 (LS-30). It’s built by students at a non-profit boatbuilding and design college. The Landing School and its resident designer, Steve Dalzell, design and build boats as part of the curriculum: selling them is an afterthought. As a result, only two or three LS30s

Impressive performance combined with Hanse's unique take on styling mark the latest mid-size cruiser-racer from the German builder. A deep T-keel and bendy fractional rig will please the speed freaks; family crews will appreciate the self-tacking jib and spacious cabins.For more information, visit

Discovery Yachts’s first boat, the Discovery 55, was originally conceived as a one-off dreamboat for Sunsail Charters founder and single-handed transatlantic sailor John Charnley and his wife, Caroline. In creating the design, naval architect Ron Holland distilled all of the Charnleys’ experience and requirements into a world cruiser that could be easily handled by a couple.

A couple of days after last fall’s Newport Boat Show, I had a chance to take the Scandinavian Cruiser 20 out for a spin on Narragansett Bay. Despite being one of the smallest boats there, and up on a trailer besides, the SC20, with its classic lines, teak deck and royal blue topsides, was one of the show’s standouts.
It was also one of the most surprising boats I’ve sailed. In retrospect, I

The Farr 400’s all-carbon construction, powerful sailplan and excellent deck and cockpit layout make it a convincing successor to the aging Farr 40. The 400’s lifting keel and two-part carbon mast (supported by EC6 standing rigging) also allow for cost-effective shipping in a 40-foot container, facilitating international competition.

Today’s performance-cruisers are faster than ever. But are they going to take care of you in heavy weather in the same way as those pre-IOR boats many of us grew up admiring? Fortunately, there are still builders and designers out there who are willing and able to combine the best of both old and the new in boats like the raised-saloon Tartan 4700.

The Catana yard in the Catalan region of southern France has been building 47-foot cruising catamarans for more than a dozen years. The newly redesigned Catana 47 incorporates more carbon fiber than its predecessors and springs from an entirely new hull and deck mold, but retains the same distinctive profile, tall twin daggerboards, open helm stations and performance-oriented rig.

I boarded the new Corsair Sprint 750 MK II with some trepidation. I’m far from the world’s most experienced multihull sailor and wondered if I’d be up to the task of putting a rocket like the 750 through its paces. I needn’t have worried, though; despite its horsepower, this is a boat that takes care of its crew and can make even a rank neophyte look good as it pours on the speed.

“Everything old is new again” is a common theme in yacht design, and the Neel 45 is a perfect example. Many sailors younger than 60 won’t remember that the very first trimarans were full-bridgedeck boats built in plywood, and to them this boat will seem revolutionary.

Although the new J/88 has very similar lines to the J/111 and J/70 that precede it, the boat still has a personality that is distinctly its own.
For example, whereas the J/111 is almost in “big boat” range with its 9,300lb displacement, 36ft 6in LOA and 663ft2 of sail area, the J/88 is refreshingly nimble with its 4,990lb displacement, 439ft2 of sail area and a LOA of just over 29ft.